In a continuing effort to improve the quality of fresh market and shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine and peach seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as "August Snow". The present variety was developed by us in 1987 as a first generation cross using Bradcrim (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,461) white flesh nectarine as the seed parent and August Red (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,363) yellow flesh nectarine as the pollen parent, in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The fruit produced by the present variety is most similar to its seed parent, the Bradcrim (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,461), by producing white flesh freestone nectarines that are nearly full red in skin color and non-acidic in flavor, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that ripens thirty days later, that is larger in size, and that is much firmer in texture.
The present variety is similar to its selected pollen parent, August Red (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,363), by abundantly producing large sized, very firm, nectarines that are nearly full red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is white flesh instead of yellow flesh, that is freestone instead of clingstone, and that is non-acidic in flavor instead of acidic.